Forum | Plant offers treatment for variety of ills, so let's legalize it as drug

The pros and cons of medical marijuana

Jan. 4, 2014

Perry Clark

Written by

Perry Clark

Special to The Courier-Journal

No valid reasoning exists for refusing marijuana as compassionate medicine. It is known that virtually everything we were told about the evils of marijuana was propaganda based on fear.

And that’s why I plan to file a bill in the 2014 legislative session that would make marijuana available for medical treatment under the direction of a physician. In August, I testified before the joint House-Senate Health and Welfare Committee in support of this legislation that I have sponsored previously.

Most have been reticent to speak about the good that this plant has to offer as food, fuel, fiber and medicine. Society marginalized those bold enough to question the official line. Proponents of freeing the cannabis plant are breaking this taboo by speaking openly about the plant and have educated others to do likewise.

Discarding all arguments not related to the medical aspects of the cannabis plant, let’s consider if marijuana is medicine.

In 2009, $4 million of stimulus money was awarded to Kentucky-based Alltranz Pharmaceuticals to research a transdermal cannabidiol delivery patch. “Cannabidiol, extracted from cannabis sativa, is a compound in marijuana that has significant medical effects.”

MSN recently posted: “Hope for autistic children might lie in medical marijuana.” The study released in April 2013 from Stanford University shows that cannabinoids might help treat autism. Many children with autism are already given cocktails of drugs that may be even stronger than marijuana with serious side effects and with limited results.

From the National Cancer Institute: “Within the past 20 years, the neurobiology of cannabinoids has been analyzed. The first cannabinoid receptor, CB1, was identified in the brain in 1988. A second cannabinoid receptor, CB2, was identified in 1993. The highest concentration of CB2 receptors is located on B lymphocytes and natural killer cells, suggesting a possible role in immunity. Endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) have been identified and appear to have a role in pain modulation, control of movement, feeding behavior, and memory.”

(Page 2 of 2)

Recently from Science Daily: “The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University.”

Dr. Sanjay Gupta ran a television special on CNN last year called “Weed” about medical marijuana and its necessity as the only medication that is effective for many illnesses. Basically, Dr. Gupta apologized for his earlier irrational acceptance of the official governmental line without utilizing the critical thinking skills of the scientist and intelligent person that he is. I recommend watching this one-hour special.

When our self-imposed blinders of denial are removed, it becomes abundantly clear that the cannabis plant has a multitude of medicinal uses. It is untenable for marijuana to remain a Schedule One drug, thereby making it not recommendable by medical professionals for their patients.

Of course marijuana is medicine. For thousands of years this product has been used with zero attributed deaths recorded from its usage — unlike our current medication schemes in which someone with a prescription dies every 19 minutes.

The evidence is abundant and overwhelming. I’ve noted but a few recent articles and studies. There are literally thousands of studies available supporting the cannabis plant as medicinal.

A compelling argument supporting cannabis as compassionate medicine is that the federal government holds a patent through the Department of Health and Human Services on the many medicinal uses of cannabis. Patent No. 6,630,507 specifically states “Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This newfound property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of a wide variety of oxidation-associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.”

When I was a child I thought as a child. However, I no longer believe in the boogie man, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or that marijuana is the evil, vilified product as it has been portrayed. The taboo is broken. We must speak out against this continued prohibition. Marijuana is medicine. Currently it is a forbidden medicine. It is time to make this compassionate medicine available to Kentucky citizens. Many of our patients are running out of time.